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It’s great when everything comes together during a photoshoot! I’m expanding my editorial portfolio and love anything edgy, alternative and surreal. One of the jobs of a photographer is to translate creative vision to photographic images. I'm attracted to the creative possibilities in fashion editorial photography, where models, makeup artists, hairstylists, wardrobe stylists, and photographers work together in the creative process.
For this shoot, the team consisted of wardrobe stylist Laura Anne Image, model Yomee and makeup artist Sylvia Szczepanska. Laura Anne's concepts are inspired by her art work, which she brings to life in the photoshoot. She was great to work with because of her creative vision and great art direction. Also, she did an amazing job sourcing the wardrobe and accessories. Sylvia is a very talented makeup artist, graduated from John Casablancas Institute. Yomee is an alternative model from Australia who is now lives in Vancouver. She was also wonderful to work with and responded to art direction with great poses and expression. This is the first time that I have worked with this team and hope to do more shoots in the future!

Laura Anne described her vision as "colour contradiction where innocent colours look villain-like." The colour palette was to be pastels - light pink, light blue, lilac and a white background. Unfortunately the original model broke her leg before the shoot, so Yomee was the replacement. Yomee is an alternative model with body mods - piercings and tattoos. However, Laura Anne wanted clean skin for the model. I was up to the challenge of Photoshopping the the tattoos away. I've done it before and can make it look convincing. Also, the model's eyes were to be blank - again another Photoshop challenge! I've never tried that before - I have done much Photoshopping of eyes - removing contact lens edges, clearing up small blood vessels, brightening the eyes, darkening the pupils, changing the eye-colour - but never completely removing the irises and pupils!

I used a beauty dish for the main light because it gives a bit more edgy look with more shadow definition than with a softbox, but still gives soft light. I used a white seamless paper background, lit with another strobe and a gridded strobe behind the model as a hair light.

I think the photos have a creepy feel mainly due to the unsettling blank eyes, and the styling, model and makeup go together to make some beautiful images that brought to life Laura Anne's creative vision.